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Aristotle said, "Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular." Tonight on Tapestry...poetry! Also, teaching math through dance...and the music of Birmingham band "Kiss Me at the Gate" and story behind the name! First - arts news with Tanya Ott.

The voice and the words you hear belong to Sharrif Simmons, a performance artist, writer, poet and native New Yorker transplanted to Birmingham. As poetry and spoken word underwent a cultural resurgence in the 1990's, Simmons was a staple in New York's cultural art scene, performing at venues like the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and the Cooler. In June, he'll be featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, which will coincide with the release of his debut CD, The ECHOEFFECT. Sharrif Simmons dropped by our studios this week to talk about his art.

Performance artist and poet Sharrif Simmons performs at Homewood Park for Earthfest this Saturday at 4 p.m. His first book of poetry is Fast Cities and Objects That Burn and his CD, The ECHOEFFECT, will be released in June. More on Sharrif Simmons and his music on our website, wbhm.org.

Sharrif likes to say that his education as a writer began at U-C-L-A, as in "University on the Corner of Lenox Avenue"...the location of his aunt's famed Liberation Bookstore in Harlem. Education happens in all kinds of places and in all kinds of ways. On a recent day, students at Goings Elementary in east Birmingham crowded into the school gymnasium for a dance recital that was much more than dance. The program is called Math-in-Motion. Dancers from Children's Dance Foundation manipulate their bodies around geometric shapes and other props, illustrating addition, subtraction, greater than and less than. Founding member Mary Foshee tells Tanya Ott that for some kids, this is the most effective way to teach some pretty difficult concepts.

That was Mary Foshee of the Children's Dance Foundation. Need a little help with your adding, subtracting and inferential geometry? Math-in-motion performs at the Alys Stephens Center this Saturday morning as part of the Kids'club series.

April is National Poetry Month. It's also a time of year when new life is bursting out, every place we look. But this April has been filled with debates about the END of life...from Pope Paul II to Terri Schiavo, and others. In honor of National Poetry Month, producer Dale Short brings us this reflection from Birmingham poet James Mersmann about the end of his mother's rich, and full, life...

The poem Watching My Mother's Breath is from James Mersmann's book Straying Toward Home. The music is from the CD Fiddle Me Home, by Kenny and Suzy Spencer of Bessemer.

Aimee and Jaguar is the title of the next film at the Jewz on Scene series and is based on the memoirs of Lilly Wust, a German woman who falls in love with a Jew in 1943 Berlin. And as if that weren't enough to qualify this as a tragic love story, the Jew she falls in love with happens to be another woman. Ellen Lichtenstein has our review.

Our reviewer is Ellen Lichtenstein. The film -- Aimee and Jaguar -- plays next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at WorkPlay, with conversation and cocktails afterwards. The Jewz on Scene film series is sponsored by the Birmingham Jewish Community.

What's going on in and around the Birmingham area. For additional details, go to our online version of the Community Calendar.

Lyrical Indie Rock Pop � that's how Birmingham Band Kiss Me at the Gate describes its music. But we like lead singer Claire Cormany's description better. "It's a collaboration. When the butterflies are there, you know you're onto something." This is All the While off the self-titled CD. Claire Cormany and bandmate Zac Young...

Claire Cormany and Zac Young from the band Kiss Me at the Gate. The song is All the While, off their self-titled CD. You can find more of their music for download on our website, wbhm.org. Kiss Me at the Gate play The Bomb Shelter this Saturday.

If you know a local band or musician we shouldconsider for Tapestry, contact Hunter Bell...you can find his email at wbhm.org. Tapestry is a produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall. Reporting this week by Dale Short and Ellen Lichtenstein and production assistance from Rosemary Pennington and Steve Chiotakis. I'm Greg Bass. Next week on the show we talk to Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell. He grew up in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Hope you join us!